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Further Reduction in Paper-based Cheque Payments Possible, Says JP Morgan
JP Morgan has released a new report that highlights how businesses are using payments technology to improve working capital, increase visibility into cash management, and generate higher rebates on accounts payable (A/P) spending. The report, ‘Payment’s New Land of Opportunity’, features case studies from JP Morgan clients that have implemented single-use accounts and extended the use of their purchasing card programmes to hold on to cash longer, pay suppliers sooner, increase rebates and reduce A/P manpower costs.
“Corporate treasury departments are under great pressure to manage costs, control spending and increase working capital,” said Eduardo Vergara, global commercial card executive, JP Morgan Treasury Services. “Card programmes are becoming the payment tool of choice as organisations increasingly migrate higher-value, paper-based transactions to electronic payment with complete confidence.”
Until recently, the prime focus for treasury departments has been at two ends of the payment spectrum. Credit cards have traditionally been used for travel and entertainment and some low-dollar expenses, while automated clearing house (ACH) has been reserved for the high-ticket, direct suppliers. Cheque processing, renowned for its high cost and no revenue benefit, has filled in all the gaps. Now, companies see a new land of opportunity: the fertile ‘middle ground’ of payment, encompassing a wide field of transactions that have, until this point, been handled by paper.
According to the report, the answer for many companies is to target the large, untapped middle ground. This is the spend landscape that falls somewhere in between low- and high-ticket transactions, with suppliers that invoice regularly but may not be high-volume vendors. To address this opportunity, companies are using two payment solutions, working in tandem: purchasing card and single-use accounts.
Highlights from the report include:


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Writer Joan Didion, looking fragile and all of her 80 years under wispy, chalk-white hair, is the new face of Celine's spring 2015 advertising campaign.
Joni Mitchell, signature cheekbones as hard as granite under her long, silver tresses, is the new face of Yves Saint Laurent's Music Project this year, and she is 71. And Dolce & Gabbana is featuring gray-haired models in its spring and summer collections.
Meanwhile, young celebrities like Nicole Richie, Kelly Osbourne and Lady Gaga have all played with gray.
Talk about your "Fifty Shades of Grey."
All sorts of trend reports are calling gray hair a hot look for 2015, for both younger and older...

domain: news


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Sir John Timpson to join board of Barclays Bank
Barclays Bank has announced that Sir John Timpson, chairman of the Timpson shoe repair and key cutting chain, will be joining its new board.
Sir John will become one of the eight independent non-executive directors at the bank. The appointment will take effect from 1 January 2018, subject to regulatory approval.
Barclays has created a new board in advance of ring-fencing legislation which will see the Barclays UK business transfer from Barclays Bank to a separate legal entity, Barclays Bank UK. The transfer is expected to take place next April, subject to Court approval. The board will, on separation, assume responsibility for the Barclays UK business.
The search for board members has been led by Sir Ian Cheshire, chairman of the Barclays Bank UK board and non-executive director of Barclays. He is also the former chief executive of Kingfisher where brands include the DIY chain B&Q.
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That strategy kicked off in January of this year when Google introduced free internet on India’s railways through a partnership with state-owned company RailTel that began at Mumbai Central railway station. You might expect free Wi-Fi to be crappy, but those who used it praised the service for being better than many paid-for hotspots across India.
Google, of course, has a vested interest in getting more people online. It makes its money from online advertisers who need an audience, while it benefits from having more people using its services — such as YouTube, which now has a dedicated app for emerging markets — and owning devices running on its Android operating system. Connectivity is the planet’s biggest tech challenge right now, it is the piece of the internet that is missing or broken in many parts of the world where people are coming online for the first time. In India alone, Google estimates that 10,000 people go online for the first time each hour, while in Southeast Asia the figure is 3.8 million per month.
The company made a big push on the free Wi-Fi initiative, and today it revealed that it now covers 50 national stations, providing internet access to 3.5 million people each month. (That’s up from 1.5 million in June.) Google and RailTel are targeting 400 stations nationwide, and, in addition to that, it has now opened the program up to other public organizations.
Google Station is aimed at all manner of public businesses, from malls, to bus stops, city centers, and cafes. And not just those in India, too, Google said.
“We’re just getting started and are looking for a few strategic, forward-thinking partners to work with on this effort,” it added in a statement.
For all the excitement around how Google is disrupting U.S. internet access with Project Fi and Google Fiber, Google Station has the potential to take things even further by giving the hundreds of millions who lack decent quality internet access, a reliable connection to get online regularly for the first time. That is potentially life-changing for many.
No doubt the project is in its early days, but it has the potential to do an incredible amount of good — and hopefully without running into conflicts of interest, as the free internet project from Facebook did.
Google is making a change to image search today that sounds small but will have a big impact: it’s removing the “view image” button that appeared when you clicked on a picture, which allowed you to open the image alone.
5 years, 1 month ago
Looking for a new job is getting easier. Google today launched a new jobs search feature right on its search result pages that lets you search for jobs across virtually all of the major online job boards like LinkedIn, Monster, WayUp, DirectEmployers, CareerBuilder and Facebook and others. Google will also include job listings its finds on a company’s homepage.
5 years, 9 months ago
At the beginning of October, Google is reportedly announcing several highly anticipated devices. Specifically Google will host an event on October 4th where it will reveal new “Pixel” smartphones and a new version of the Chromecast, according to a source with Android Police.
6 years, 6 months ago


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Agricultural firm Sasini bounced back to profitability in the year ended September 2013 , helped by improved valuations of its coffee and tea bushes. The firm made a net profit of Sh91.6 million in the period, reversing a net loss of Sh124.1 million a year earlier . This came as its coffee and tea plantations (biological assets) were valued at a loss of Sh31.5 million from a loss of Sh420.9 million in the same period. The reduced paper losses helped Sasini to post the profit even as sales remained flat at Sh2.8 billion and costs increased 6.9 per cent to Sh2 billion. The firm said it would pay a dividend of Sh0.25 per share for the year ended September 2013 , which is down from the Sh0.75 it paid in the previous year when it was in losses. Its share price has gained 35.3 per cent over the past six months to trade at Sh19.7.
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(PRWEB) August 10, 2015
Creative Medical Health, Inc., a biotechnology company dedicated to developing a line of scientifically backed regenerative medicine products, announced its Natural Rest® sleep-assisting supplements are now for sale on RonnieColemanNutrition.com.
Natural Rest features a unique blend of herbs and vitamins that have been scientifically proven to be beneficial as calming remedies and sleep aids, helping to improve anxiety and mood disorders. Like all other products developed by Creative Medical Health, Natural Rest was formulated after a significant amount of research by one of the world’s leaders in regenerative medicine studies, Dr. Amit Patel of the University of Utah.
“We are pleased to announced Natural Rest is now available to be purchased on RonnieColemanNutrition.com,” said Tim Warbington, Founder of Creative Medical Health, Inc. “Sleep deprivation and anxiety are two of the most common health issues in this country, and there are many people who can benefit from having a natural means of finding relief from them. Natural Rest gives people that much-needed relief while allowing them to avoid the harmful side effects often found in your average pharmaceutical medication.”
Natural Rest specifically targets the central nervous system thanks to its blend of hormones, nutrients and herbs. This mixture helps to soothe the body and brain, relieve symptoms of anxiety and simply make it easier for the body to relax and go to sleep.
The few similar products available in the marketplace lack the same amount of scientific testing and research, which puts Natural Rest head and shoulders ahead of the competition. These are products with an unprecedented level of analysis and research, thanks to the scientific focus used in all of Creative Medical Health’s processes.
“Natural Rest is the result of many years of hard work, and it truly works,” said Warbington. “We are pleased to be able to give people a natural, effective way of getting the sleep they need and the relief from the anxiety that plagues them on a daily basis. We are excited for the opportunity to reach out to more people than ever before thanks to this new sales partnership with RonnieColemanNutrition.com.”
For more information about Creative Medical Health and its products, visit http://www.creativemedicalhealth.com.


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vni Biyani, the concept head of Foodhall, spoke to Purba Das on the gourmet food industry. Foodhall, launched in 2011, is a "one-stop shop for food... ...http://www.sunday-guardian.com/business/foodhall-has-hit-break-even-point
What next, everybody wanted to know after Sachin Tendulkar retired in November last year. The answer is now clear: football. Last week, Tendulkar... ...http://www.smartinvestor.in/market/Econnews-237296-Econnewsdet-Soccers_moment.htm
KOLKATA: To expand its footprint in the fashion retail business, the Kishore Biyani-led Future Group plans to set up exclusive stores for two of... ...http://economictimes.feedsportal.com/c/33041/f/534022/s/3985ad92/sc/21/l/0Leconomictimes0Bindiatimes0N0Cindustry0Cservices0Cretail0Cfuture0Egroup0Eplans0Estandalone0Estores0Efor0Ein0Ehouse0Ebrands0Carticleshow0C339234210Bcms/story01.htm
Can the Indian Super League revive football in the country? Surajeet Das Gupta, Urvi Malvania & Viveat Susan April 19, 2014 Last Updated at 00:30... ...http://www.business-standard.com/article/specials/soccer-s-moment-114041800965_1.html
By M.V. Kamath Think of women celebrities and one instinctively thinks of film stars and politicians. Topping the list are women like... ...http://www.afternoondc.in/editorial/participation-of-women-in-indian-workforce-is-dismal/article_107845
Future Group, led by its founder and...


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Moviegoers challenged to support local cinemas on January 18th
DALLAS, TEXAS, UNITED STATES, January 10, 2020 /EINPresswire.com/ — As a proud member of the Independent Cinema Alliance (ICA), Cinergy Entertainment is excited to host the first annual “Independent Cinema Day” on Saturday, January 18, 2020 at all locations. This social holiday is an opportunity for moviegoers nationwide to support their local independent cinema.
Using the campaign slogan, “Love Local Cinema,” Cinergy is encouraging the local community to attend the movies on January 18th and share their experience on social media. Cinergy will be offering all-day matinee ticket prices, and stickers will be provided to each guest who attends so they can take pictures of themselves and post to their preferred social media channel using the hashtags #CinergyMoment #lovelocalcinema and #independentcinemaday.
Vice President of Marketing, Traci Hoey, explains, “By going to the movies at an independent cinema, people can have a sense of pride knowing the money is going back into their local community, local jobs are being supported, and they are able to enjoy a more authentic movie-going experience than what’s offered by many larger chain cinemas.”
Formed in 2018, the ICA is a non-profit organization that advocates on behalf of independent cinema owners by promoting innovative pro-cinema solutions to film distributors. Cinergy Entertainment became a member of the organization in 2019.
“Independent cinemas constitute around 20% of North America’s theatrical box office revenue, and we believe they are a vitally important segment of the industry,” said Bill Campbell, President and CEO of Orpheum Theatre and ICA Chairman. “Our hope is that through this campaign, moviegoers will recognize their personal role to support this vital segment of their local economy.”
To learn more about Cinergy Entertainment and how you can participate in Independent Cinema Day, visit www.cinergy.com. To learn more about the Independent Cinema Alliance, visit www.cinemaalliance.org.
Source: EIN Presswire


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News and people briefs
Deere goes mobile with parts platform
John Deere has launched a mobile version of its parts Web site that allows customers easier access to much-needed parts.
By visiting jdparts.deere.com from a smart phone or tablet customers can view equipment parts information from nearly any location.
Like its desktop counterpart, the mobile version allows customers to quickly access parts information, pricing, availability and order parts online. Customers can search by parts catalog, model number, part number or keyword to locate the appropriate parts and attachments.
For more information, visit jdparts.deere.com.
Lebanon tabs Bially as new product manager
LebanonTurf recently named Paul Bially as product manager for its biostimulant division.
Bially brings years of turf industry experience to LebanonTurf, including prior service with Aquatrols and Precision Labs in which he worked extensively with surfactants and other specialty products.
Most recently, he worked as a sales and technology specialist for Lamberti USA managing the company's line of surfactants, polymers and pigments.
For more information, visit www.lebanonturf.com.
Hunter controllers earn EPA nod for saving water
Hunter Industries' AC-powered controllers that are paired with Solar Sync sensors will carry the WaterSense label for professional turfgrass managers interested in getting the most for the least from their irrigation systems.
Controllers to carry the WaterSense label will include X-Core, Pro-C, I-Core and ACC lines. Hunters' controllers are the only in the industry to carry the label granted by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Water Sense is an EPA partnership program that recognizes products that perform as well or better than their less-efficient counterparts, are 20 percent more water efficient than average products in their category, realize water savings on a national level, provide measurable water savings results, achieve water efficiency through several technology options, are effectively differentiated by the WaterSense label, and obtain independent, third-party certification.
Superintendent of the Year finalists come from a variety of backgroundsFinalists for the TurfNet Superintendent of the Year Award, presented by Syngenta, c...
Cub Cadet acquires UK-based mower manufacturerThe maker of the RG3 robotic greens mower is expanding its footprint in the turf mainte...
Kidney transplant, support of friends give hope to recipient's familyIt was not that long ago when Scott and Heidi Schukraft received the message that no pa...
New Mexico State research zeroes in on efficiency of drip irrigation for golfResearchers in the New Mexico State University College of Agricultural, Consumer and En...
Report highlights Olympic's efforts toward achieving sustainabilityGolf has a good story to tell. What it has lacked is a voice to tell it. Until now. ...
Shifting trendsWorms, compost fertilizer, biological soil amendments and Mark Hoban. A couple of d...


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Atomo Coffee, Inc., a Seattle, WA-based developer of molecular coffee, made without beans, secured $2.6m in seed funding.
Horizons Ventures, the private investment arm of Mr. Li Ka-shing, made the investment, following the ones in Spotify, Siri, Zoom, Improbable, Impossible Foods and Perfect Day.
The company intends to use the funds to continue to develop its coffee.
Founded by CEO Andy Kleitsch, and Chief Scientist Jarret Stopforth Ph.D., Atomo has reversed engineered the coffee bean to create a smooth cup of coffee, made of naturally derived ingredients and more sustainable than current commercial coffee.
The company has also added food and beverage technology veterans to the advisory board including, Bryan Crowley, CEO of Soylent, as well as leading expert in coffee science, Dr. Chahan Yeretzian of the Swiss Coffee Excellence Center (ZHAW).


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June 2, 2008, Niles, IL -JohnsByrne Company, an award-winning, national provider of innovative custom print solutions is pleased to announce they have been named Sappi's North American Printer of the Year. JohnsByrne Company won for the "Printer's own Promotion" category with their self- promotion titled "Reality UV". This entry will now go on to compete for the distinguished Sappi International Printer of the Year title to be held in Cape Town, South Africa in October 2008.
"We are absolutely thrilled to have received one of our industry's highest honors by such a distinguished group of industry peers" says Corey Gustafson, President/CEO of JohnsByrne Company. "We work with our clients to innovate in a compelling way to solve their problems; 'Reality UV' is another great example of our solutions at work". Mr. Gustafson was on hand to receive his Company's award at the May 17th awards gala in Dallas, Texas.
The Sappi Printers of the Year awards competition recognizes print excellence and innovation for work produced on Sappi papers. 'Reality UV' was printed primarily on Sappi McCoy Gloss and Mohawk Superfine papers as well as a variety of exotic substrates including plastics, cotton velour paper and foil board. The JohnsByrne Company partnered with Komori Corporation to produce the book which highlights the benefits of UV printing by way of the reality television genre. Over the past several months the self promotional book has received high marks by the creative, marketing and advertising communities across the nation.
This year's entries were judged by a distinguished panel that included Constance Sidles, Constance Sidles Consulting; Ken Lantz, SVP, Director of Print Creative Services, DRAFTFCB; Bill Garno, Director of Printing Applications Laboratory, RIT; and Dr. Malcolm Keif, Professor of Graphic Communications at Cal Poly University. The judges have extensive expertise in the field and hold themselves to the highest standards of quality and integrity.
"Recognizing quality print and craftsmanship has always been important to Sappi, said Mark Gardner, President and CEO of Sappi Fine Paper North America. "These awards not only recognize the industry's best work, but they also give us an opportunity to stand back and appreciate how significantly print and design impact our daily lives."
The Sappi International Printers of the Year competition, taking place in Cape Town, South Africa on October 2 - 4, 2008, is a global competition of the winners from the regional events in North America, Central and South America, Europe, Australia, Asia and Africa
From this prestigious field, judges will select nine individual recipients of the Sappi International Printers of the Year awards -- the only global honor of its kind to recognize excellence in printing craftsmanship.
If you would like to receive a complimentary copy of the "Reality UV" book please contact Doug Still, Director of Marketing Services at JohnsByrne Company. Doug can be reached at 847-647-2211 or via e-mail at [email protected]


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The months-long standoff has ended, with an agreement on the future price of e-books.
It's the mad dash at the end of the year, when you push to make it a profitable one. Follow these five steps to build your business effectively.
Ask these five questions to get a better sense of how much you should be charging.
Business owners should be prepared to face these forks in the road head on if they want to keep moving ahead.
Making less of an impact than Amazon hoped, the company dropped the price of the Fire Phone from $199 to 99 cents.
No matter what price you pick you need to keep this one thing in mind.
Be up front with customers about what you do and how much it will cost, and consider romantic relationships with co-workers very carefully.
Amid divisive contract disputes, the Walt Disney Company is the latest multimedia giant to find itself in Amazon's crosshairs.
Sell quality and service. People don't complain about paying for value.
Amid pricing wars between corporate computing leaders Amazon, Microsoft and Google, industry experts predict that cloud storage may soon become entirely free.
Big Data analysis gives sales reps the information, in real time, to adjust prices as needed to make that sale, to that customer.
Think Whole Foods is too expensive? The city attorneys of Los Angeles, Santa Monica and San Francisco are of a similar mind.
As drought and coffee rust drive up the cost of coffee beans, Dunkin' Donuts prices are about to increase.
The Sexagintuple Vanilla Bean Mocha Frappuccino contains 60 shots of espresso -- half the amount of caffeine that would be lethal for most adults.


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As per Jon Prosser, Samsung is all set to announce its Galaxy S21 series on January 14, 2021. From that tweet of Jon Prosser we came to know that at this announcement event of 14th January, Samsung will launch three smartphones of the S21 series: the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21 Plus, and Galaxy S21 Ultra. From that particular date, all three smartphones will be up for pre-orders and will begin shipping before the start of February 2021. In terms of its predecessor, the Galaxy S20 series was announced on February 11, 2020, and get launched on March 6. The Samsung Galaxy S20 series came in six different color options: Black, Gery, Silver, Pink, Violet, White. But it is not quite sure whether the S21 will also come in the same six color variants.
Another highlight is that Samsung will provide the AKG-branded earbuds in the box of the Galaxy S21 series. So, it seems that Samsung is looking to replace its older wired AKG earbuds with its own wireless ones. These earbuds may be the Galaxy buds. This is the successor of the Galaxy Buds Plus, certified with the EUIPO. As per the pricing of the earbuds, the Galaxy Buds Plus has an original price tag of US$149.99. So, if Samsung gives the new totally wireless Galaxy Buds with the S21 series smartphones, then it is such an expensive move for the company. Because what we have recently seen in the case of Apple, that company has removed not only the earbuds but also the charging adapters for the loss the company had faced. So, let’s see if Samsung can stick with its decision.


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QUINCY, Mass.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Breezeline, the eighth largest cable company in the United States, has launched a new “Internet Assist Plus” plan with download speeds of up to 100 Mbps for customers who are eligible to receive broadband connectivity at discounted prices through the Federal Communications Commission’s Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP).
Under the program, Breezeline is offering eligible households a rebate of up to $30 per month on broadband service (and up to $75 per month for households on eligible tribal lands) so they can stay connected to daily essentials such as telehealth, distance learning and working from home.
The new 100 Mbps “Internet Assist Plus” service, normally $29.99 per month, is available at no charge to eligible households after the $30/month ACP credit. The Internet Assist Plus package also includes a free modem. Customers can choose a higher Internet speed under the program and apply the $30 credit.
All customers who meet the financial eligibility criteria can choose the Breezeline Internet package that best suits their household needs. Breezeline will apply the Affordable Connectivity Program rebate as a monthly credit towards the cost of broadband service.
“We are excited to offer this new High Speed Internet Plus support option to eligible households,” said Heather McCallion, VP of Product and Programming at Breezeline. “We have supported the CPA and its predecessor, the Emergency Broadband Benefit, since its inception to ensure that households facing financial hardship have access to high-performance internet without data limits.”
The Affordable Connectivity Program is the third major initiative undertaken by the FCC in partnership with U.S. internet service providers to help households since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the spring of 2020, Breezeline supported its customers through the “Keep Americans Connected” program, launching an affordable “Internet Assist” internet package, temporarily suspending disconnections, waiving late fees and putting its points Wi-Fi access available to the public. In May 2021, Breezeline provided discounted service to customers in financial difficulty during the pandemic through the Emergency Broadband Benefit. Breezeline continues to support connectivity initiatives through the Affordable Connectivity Program.
Registration for the Affordable Connectivity Program is now open. Households can apply and determine their eligibility for the program by visiting acpbenefit.org. Once household eligibility has been approved, households can enroll in the program at Breeline.com/acp.
Breezeline, a subsidiary of Cogeco Communications Inc. (TSX: CCA), is the eighth largest cable company in the United States. The company provides residential and business customers with Internet, television and telephone services in 12 states: Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Maine, Maryland, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia and Virginia- Western.
ABOUT THE AFFORDABLE CONNECTIVITY PROGRAM
The Affordable Connectivity Program offers eligible households a discount on broadband service and connected devices. The Affordable Connectivity Program is limited to one refurbishment per household. Eligibility is determined through Lifeline’s National Liability Database, accessible at acpbenefit.org. Other terms, conditions or restrictions may apply. For more information, see https://www.fcc.gov/affordable-connectivity-program.


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Forget too big to fail – how about too drunk to fail!
What’s the value of a pint of beer? Let the market decide, says a new restaurant in Manhattan where prices for food and beverages will fluctuate like stock prices in increments according to demand.
Customers can move prices for all beverages and bar snacks such as hot wings ($7 for 6 pieces) or fried calamari ($9). The prices will fluctuate in $.25 cent increments, but will most likely plateau at a $2 change in either direction.


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More details on Microsoft’s version of Siri have been leaked. Codename Cortana, after the Halo video game character, we were expecting the voice assistant to be a part of Windows Phone 8.1 or later, but according to MSFTNerd, it’ll end up having a far wider release.
According to the rumor, Cortana will also show up on the Xbox and inside Windows computers over the coming years, plus it could be added to the Bing app for the iPhone too. We say, “could,” as its functionality sounds very similar to Siri, something which Apple rarely looks on favorably.
Cortana will recognize the same natural speech patterns we use to interact with Siri and Google Now. However, instead of an OK command, or potentially, the press of a button, Cortana will listen up when you say, “Bing tell me.” Avoiding the obvious jokes (Bing tell me, why would I use you when I have Google?), the examples provided show Cortana will let you know the day’s weather forecast, your calendar entries, and also fire up Bing Maps.
Apparently, the Cortana assistant will be released in beta form for Lumia Windows Phones in April, when it’ll only be available in America, before coming to the Bing iPhone app during the latter half of the year. It’s not clear whether Cortana will be compatible with older Windows Phone devices, or if it’ll be a special feature for the first Lumia devices launched by Microsoft. The rumor also indicates Microsoft may limit access to Cortana until 2015 or even 2016, and that U.S. Xbox and Windows 9 computer users may get the software before those outside America.
Microsoft has confirmed it’s working on a virtual assistant, but Bing director Stefan Weitz said in an interview last year, “We are not shipping until we have something more revolutionary.” He continued to say it could release a direct competitor already, but, “It wouldn’t be state of the art.” If these new timeframes turn out to be correct, Microsoft is still not rushing into anything.


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Google finally draws the line and takes measures against websites that are using intrusive ad practices.
There are plenty of websites that in pursuit of revenue do everything to become non-user-friendly. All these intrusive ads really slow down the loading of pages but also they just interfere with users getting the desired content, especially taking into account the small size of mobile devices screens. Google has recently outlined most annoying kinds of such ads:
Today Android developers announced about Android 7 (also known as Android N, or Nougat) release in their official blog. This brings many new features, but the most important (and sad) for us are HTTPs filtering-related changes.
Uh-oh, it looks like we have another proof of how harmful online ads can be. There is a new noxious malware that lies in wait for Android users, and spreads via AdSense. Yeah, that ad network by Google.
Specialists of Kaspersky Lab have encountered an alarming virus called Trojan-Banker.AndroidOS.Svpeng.q that is spread with the help of online ads.
Today Facebook announced some truly sad news - the social network will now fight ad blockers.
What are the measures? Well, first of all the tech part itself will be altered, so that ad blockers couldn't detect and remove advertising on the desktop version of Facebook.
And secondly, the social network will update ad preferences tool. This tool shows what data is transferred to advertisers, why do you see specific ads, and it also gives opportunity to hide ads that you are not interested in.
In old good (well, more or less) times, if a victim of cyber attack realised something's wrong, he/she could just call the bank to check if everything's all right and subsequently prevent theft.
But cyber criminals are always evolving. This time they've designed malware to block phone calls to your bank. How? Well, let us tell you, we found a nice article about it.


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Risks of Bitcoin Investment and How to Avoid It
The future with monetary exchange has been considered to be a virtual currency. Trading goods with such worldwide money online definitely looks like a technique that could accelerate trade without national currency complications. Bitcoin is now the most successful currency nowadays, but some obstacles are bound to exist like any new frontier. It is essential to be mindful of this new market's issues, with so many individuals rushing to invest. This involve all the dangers of trading in bitcoin and how to stop being mixed up in them.
The Market Volatile or Fluctuating:
One bitcoin was worth 6,461.01 dollars as of November 6, 2018. On December 17, 2017, when you happened to buy a bitcoin, the price surpassed $20,000. The bitcoin market continues to ripple back and forth continuously. Make small investments; in the long term, they will be more advantageous.
There is a technology-based cryptocurrency that leaves the whole investment open to cyber-attacks. Several reports indicate that many consumers lose everyone's assets on transactions and mining losses. Your cryptocurrency wallets will be carefully researched to make sure you get the most reliable option.
Fraud Over Fraud:
All throughout bitcoin industry, there is a decent volume of theft, with hacks as well as. These transactions have been warned against by the Bureau of Consumer Finance Protection and the Stock Exchange in which unwitting investors in fraudulent sales are duped out of their bitcoins. This shortage of security creates excellent risk for investors. Although systems for dealing with these problems have been developed, security remains a major problem.
At present, the bitcoin market has been operating without any effective regulations. There is no exact position by the government on cryptocurrency; the market is too fresh. However, if bitcoin is presented as competition for the government currency, a lack of taxation could give rise to problems. There's no way to tell how in a couple of years, the bitcoin market's state might be.
The Reliance on Technology:
Bitcoin was also digitally mined, transferred via a smart wallet, and monitored using different systems. Cryptocurrency isn't worth anything without that technology. You hold something that can be exchanged using gold, real estate, bonds, or mutual funds.
Bitcoin can be a step into a modern money transaction, but few businesses embrace it as a valuable currency source. Unfortunately, bitcoin is not accepted as a legal exchange by several companies.
Withholding with Block:
Instead of disclosing the latest block to the network, a mining pool may use computing resources to mine a block and shield it from honest miners. This is essentially a means to enjoy the rewards for a small fee, while some are left without much.
Loss in Finance:
This creates a bubble economy because more individuals buy into Bitcoin. Bitcoin will essentially become useless when the bubble bursts; many individuals will hold on to cryptocurrency, planning on selling but unable to unload.
Currency or The Investment Opportunity:
Cryptocurrency could be an efficient exchange of online currencies; buyers, however, buy bitcoins to invest as well as they'd with stocks. Some even believe that bitcoin is indeed a substantial retirement opportunity for investment. While bitcoin could theoretically pay off, with caution, the safest way to handle this investment is.
Young Technology Innovations:
Cryptocurrency is also a very new concept. There's no telling how the industry will evolve, with so many changes taking place in the past few years. Bitcoin could become pointless in the future, as we understand it. With care and due diligence, the safest way to handle this potential possibility for investment is. Please take steps to secure your resources and brace yourself for the economy's future.
The technical aspect is often quite rapidly and sometimes even uncontrollably growing. Any consumer recognizes that many rivals already exist - and begin to emerge almost regularly - for Bitcoin. Given the benefit of brand recognition and massive injections of risk resources in the form of the imminent arrival of a more mature cryptocurrency, there is a real technical risk to other cryptocurrencies. Investors clearly cannot notice the moment that their virtual properties destroy their true value.
Variability of The Price:
In the short term, Bitcoin cost increases are entirely predictable, which further contributes to this commodity's riskiness. Financial analysts may more or less correctly estimate the valuation of actual currencies or stock quotes dependent on data from the outside world. It isn't easy, though, to guess just how much Bitcoin would cost tomorrow. The vast amounts of exchange trade, the convergence of Bitcoin with different firms, legislative initiatives of regulatory bodies, and many other often-overlooked phenomena are causes that affect the fluctuations of the valuation of the cryptocurrency. You can consult with blockchain firms to attract blockchain developers to invest in blockchain technologies.


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China-based telecom equipment maker Huawei is facing slow revenue growth this year due to cut in Capex by China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom.
Huawei will also be impacted by reduction in Capex by telecom operators in other telecom markets, said a report by TBR.
Top telecom vendors
Analyzing the revenue of Huawei, Ericsson and Nokia in 2016, Huawei will retain its top position in the global telecom technology business.
Top technology vendors in carrier business in 2016 were Huawei with $42.16 billion, Ericsson with $24.93 billion and Nokia Networks with $23.27 billion revenue.
Huawei generated revenue of CNY 290,561 million or $42.16 billion from carrier business in 2016.
Ericsson reported SEK 222.6 billion revenue or $24.93 billion from telecomm networks, IoT and cloud and media business last year. Recently, Ericsson restructured its business to focus more on carrier networks and IT.
Nokia Networks business generated revenue of EUR 21,799 million or $23.27 billion in 2016.
Due to significant cut in the Capex by China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom, Huawei’s telecom business started struggling. China is the main contributor to Huawei’s revenues. Huawei faces tough market conditions in matured telecom markets such as the US and UK. Huawei in the last 12 months did not announce any single deal in India where LTE expansion is happening at a faster pace.
“Huawei has been able to stave off the issues facing the ICT ecosystem, such as how to navigate the technology disruption caused by the shift to software-mediated (NFV, SDN) networks and cloud as well as how to transform operations and business models to align with new market demands, but it will not be able to completely avoid them,” said TBR telecom senior analyst Chris Antlitz.
With CSP Capex spend in China expected to decrease over 13 percent in 2017 and a declining CSP spend environment in international markets, Huawei will find itself at a crossroads in 2017.
Growth of Huawei will likely slow substantially compared to prior years and margins will come under pressure. Huawei will make difficult decisions, including undertaking a restructuring to protect and extend its market leadership.
Huawei, amid a multiyear run of double-digit revenue growth, will not be immune to the trends. “The Chinese company’s growth will likely slow substantially compared to prior years and margins will come under further pressure, which could prompt Huawei to pursue restructuring,” said TBR telecom analyst Michael Soper.
Ericsson is undertaking such an initiative under new CEO Borje Ekholm, but the company faces a difficult road back to market and technology leadership.
ZTE outperformed the market due to favorable payment timing from its core China-based customers, but this represents a temporary reprieve.
Telecom operator spend in CALA is expected to bottom in 2017 and recover in 2018. The awarding of the Red Compartida contract in Mexico by ALTAN Redes, which was jointly won by Nokia and Huawei, represents a key growth driver for the region.
Telecom operators elsewhere in CALA are also likely to double down on LTE deployments as new spectrum comes to market and the impact of currency devaluations and other economics issues subside.
Vendors under pressure
Legacy infrastructure decommissioning; technology disruption from NFV, SDN and cloud; and business model disruption from digitalization and new consumption models will pose significant headwinds for equipment vendors, said TBR.
“Global spend on ICT infrastructure in the telecom industry is forecast to decline until standards-based 5G arrives in 2020,” said TBR telecom analyst Michael Soper.
In the interim, telecom vendors will emphasize diversification into adjacent customer segments such as the cloud service provider (webscale) space and cable segment, where spend is growing, to offset the impact of lower spend by telecom operators.
Telecom technology vendors will target engagements with top cloud service providers — Microsoft, Google, Facebook, Amazon, Alibaba, Baidu and Tencent – mainly in the United States and China, to drive new revenue opportunities.
Telecom Infrastructure Services
Telecom Infrastructure Services (TIS) vendors are pursuing one of two strategies to weather the impact of lower telecom operator spend, according to TBR.
The first strategy is to expand the portfolio and enter new growth areas, while the second strategy is to refine the portfolio and focus on profit optimization.
“Technology vendors are diversifying their customer bases and portfolios to limit the fallout from lower telecom operator spend. Spend in the cloud service provider and cable customer segments remains robust, while opportunities in the application layer remain attractive across all customer types,” said TBR telecom senior analyst Chris Antlitz.
Nokia and Juniper Networks are standout out-performers in diversification. Nokia is building a strong base of contracts with a diverse range of customers, which should begin to bring organic revenue growth over the next year.
Juniper Networks’ Contrail solution and switching infrastructure for cloud environments remain in strong demand across all customer types.
All telecom vendors including Huawei are awaiting business opportunities from 5G and related IoT services. Actual investment — though small — in 5G networks will start happening towards 2019.


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Force Touch Coming to iPhone and Windows 10 Release Date
Mark L is back to tackle the biggest tech rumors of this week! On this week's episode of Rumor Roundup, Mark talks about Microsoft preparing to release Windows 10 in July, Samsung improving the Galaxy S6's camera app in the phone's next update, and Samsung's new smartphone prototype that features foldable dual-screens. Mark also talks about Apple taking on Google Now in iOS 9 with a new predictive intelligence feature.
Rumor Roundup is a show taking a look at the latest trends, rumors, and leaks buzzing around the technology industry hosted by recognized tech enthusiast twitter.com/HeyMarkL" target=">Mark Linsangan. Not only does Mark L deliver the news in full force, but he also provides his analytical thoughts and insight leaving one wondering of what lies ahead in the world of tech.


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Roland DGA has introduced its new Roland DisplayStudio digital sign system, the company’s first foray into the dynamic-signage market.
Designed specifically for print service providers, the new system is a turnkey solution featuring the necessary components for a shop to get started in dynamic signage, says Roland, including:
In early August, one of the largest outdoor art shows ever conceived – Art Everywhere US – will take over 50,000 out-of-home sites across the US. Approximately 50 masterworks of American art from various museums’ collections will be installed on static and digital billboards, subway platforms and trains, and buses and bus shelters. And people across the country have an opportunity to help determine which artwork makes the final cut.
When it comes to RIPs and workflow, you have many, many choices. And while it’s certainly helpful in considering any shop tool or supply to drill down into its specs and specific features, it’s also critical to look at how that tool’s use might be changing.
Nimlok, the custom and custom-modular division of Orbus Exhibit & Display Group, has launched its website’s redesign. Features include a new look and feel, a more user-friendly interface, and a variety of enhanced resources including new custom and portable exhibit portfolios, says Nimlok.
Xaar has launched its Xaar 1002 GS6 printhead for UV applications. The printhead has been developed for labels, laminates, packaging, and more, and features 1000 Optimized Geometry nozzles for high-resolution text and images with smooth tones, according to Xaar.
Piedmont Plastics has introduced its Piedmont Sign Grade (PSG) product line, aimed at the signage and graphics marketplace. The new line includes AluPoly aluminum composite material, Print Tuff printable polypropylene and SupraFlex banner material (in three types: Horizon front lit, Breeze mesh, and Eclipse two-sided blockout).
Paradigm Display Solutions has launched a new eCommerce Facebook store where print providers can browse products, purchase, manage orders, and redeem gift certificates, plus share favorite products with peers. Product categories have been organized and streamlined to simplify the search process.
PARADIGM DISPLAY SOLUTIONS
3A Composite’s graphic-display website is now compatible with all Web-enabled devices. The new features include product samples via an online shopping cart, plus the ability to locate distributors, interactively select graphic display board project solutions, and comment on the latest application blog posts, reports 3A Composites.
Major League Baseball’s Kansas City Royals are back at it, with entertaining billboards to promote the team’s upcoming season and kick-start a push for tickets. Last year, dual billboards on Interstate 35 showed player James Shields on one billboard pitching across the highway to teammate Salvador Perez on another billboard.
For this year’s “Be Royal” campaign, the billboard shows Royals left fielder Alex Gordon sliding head first into a base, and tearing apart the billboard behind him as he does so.
Zevrix Solutions’ Output Factory Server 1.0.10 is a feature update to its tool that automates printing, exporting, and post-processing from Adobe InDesign. The new version lets users create large-format JPEG images that exceed the file-size limitations imposed by InDesign, the company reports; in addition, users can now embed a document's color profile to preserve the original image color values in exported TIFF and JPEG files.


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A chef prepares lobsters for a golf event in Nova Scotia. (Photo : Getty Images)
Alibaba is now selling lobsters from Nova Scotia on its e-commerce site as the Canadian province launched a pilot project to sell its best produce on Alibaba's retail site Tmall, the Chronicle Herald reported.
The project is part of Nova Scotia's plan to boost its lobster exports to China, which is worth about $113 million in 2015, the report said.
Tmall, considered to be Asia's biggest business-to-consumer (B2C) platform, is already selling Cuban lobsters while its parent company, Alibaba.com offers more than 2,000 listings for lobster, which include 76 offers to sell live lobsters from Nova Scotia.
On the Alibaba site, consumers can post a minimum order at Peng Song's Hiyou Trading Company, which lists lobster for $6 to $10 while Charlie Jin's World Link Food Distributors has priced a minimum order of 20 cases between $6 and $16.
Nova Scotia aims to get a huge share from the booming lobster industry with the rising online market demand, the report said.
"Nova Scotia is known worldwide for its premium quality lobster and seafood, all harvested from the cold and pristine waters of the Atlantic Ocean," Fisheries and Aquaculture Minister Keith Colwell said in a statement Wednesday, Feb. 15.
"This agreement will establish a supply chain of Nova Scotia lobster to our largest market, while raising the quality standards in our lobster and seafood industries even further," the minister added.
Under the agreement signed by Tmall and Nova Scotia, Chinese consumers are ensured to get the best product through a quality-control initiative.
About 3,000 live lobsters will be delivered by three Nova Scotia companies and sold through Tmall, uder the pilot project, which will run from May to Sept, the report said. The three exporters are Digby's Gidney Fisheries, Parker's Cove-based Nautical Seafoods and Bedford's Fisherman's Market. Each of the three companies will ship 100,000live lobsters during the period.
"This is a small pilot project but, if it works out well, it has the potential to be another significant revenue stream," Robert MacDonald, Gidney's president and general manager, said in an interview.
"The Chinese and Japanese markets represent a significant potential," he added.
"The online market in China is a huge, huge business opportunity and we're seeing this as an opportunity to reach new customers," said MacDonald.
The criteria will be formulated to ensure that the shipped lobsters have high quality, MacDonald said, without giving further details.
Perennia, a non-profit organization, was asked to help implement the strict quality-certification procedure for the pilot project, which includes quality standards manual, training program and regular audits, the report said.


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When final numbers are released, U.S. auto sales in October are expected to fall nearly 4% compared to October 2016 sales of 1.37 million vehicles, according to estimates from J.D. Power and LMC Automotive. Despite the decline, LMC maintained its full-year forecast for sales of 17.1 million vehicles in 2017.
Manufacturers are trying to mitigate the decline in sales by increasing discounts, which hit a monthly record average of $3,901 in October, slightly higher than the previous record of $3,835 set in October 2016.
CPO Sales Also Down In OctoberCertified pre-owned (CPO) vehicle sales were down 3.3% in October, but the year-to-date pace is still on par with the record figures from a year ago. According to Autodata Corp., there were 200,240 CPO sales in October 2017, compared to 207,105 CPO sales in October 2016. Despite the year-to-year drop, the year-to-date sales of 2.22 million certified vehicles through October 2017 are up 0.6% from the same period of 2016.
Study Predicts Slow Rise In Electric Vehicle Sales
A recent study by Boston Consulting Group (BCG) found that pure electric vehicles will likely account for 6% of total global vehicle production by 2025 and 14% by 2030. They currently account for less than 1% of the nearly 100 million vehicles sold worldwide. The study finds that greater consumer demand will be driven by a combination of factors, including improved battery technology, lower costs, and government mandates.
In the recently announced tax reform proposal unveiled by Republicans in Washington, there is discussion about eliminating the $7,500 tax credit for purchasing a pure electric vehicle, a major driver of sales at this time.
The study also found that a gradual shift to ride-sharing in metropolitan areas, as well as the further development of self-driving vehicles will also drive future demand for electric vehicles.


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Sugar Land Town Square will soon welcome its first Indian restaurant, and it is one with local ties.
Mahesh’s Kitchen is set to open Friday at 16019 City Walk.
Co-owners and spouses Neelesh Musale and Shubhangi Musale dedicated the restaurant to the memory of the late Mahesh Puranik, the younger brother of Shubhangi Musale.
“Growing up, my younger brother Mahesh and I always dreamt of opening a restaurant together,” Shubhangi said in a news release. “Through this project, we’re keeping that wish and his spirit alive. And just as he made everyone around him feel special, our goal is to convey that same warmth to our staff and guests.”
Puranik, 37, was a Stafford resident and a business development manager for Worldwide Oilfield Machine who dreamed of opening his own restaurant, according to Mahesh’s Kitchen.
At Mahesh’s, guests can expect a “lighter, more sophisticated take on Indian cuisine in a bright and airy setting” according to a news release from Daniel Renfrow of Public Content.
Every three months, the restaurant will receive a shipment containing more than 300 pounds of spice combinations from India, hand-picked from their regions of origin.
The menu will feature traditional Indian staples like Palak Paneer and fusion dishes such as the Mango Habanero Salmon with habanero chili, mango puree, serrano chili and ginger.
The drink menu will showcase herbal teas from India and classic cocktails with a spicy twist. Its signature cocktails include the Mahesh’s Old Fashioned, the tamarind-infused margarita and the cardamom mojito.
Mahesh’s will be open 5-10 p.m. daily. Its lunch schedule and happy hour are forthcoming, according to a news release.
For more information, call 832-405-6395
Thai American Bistro holds grand opening in Sugar Land
A new Thai restaurant in Sugar Land held its grand opening last month.
Thai American Bistro, 18721 University Blvd Ste. 160, opened to the public Aug. 30.
The restaurant serves Thai classics like pineapple fried rice, basil eggplant and green papaya salad with fried chicken.
Thai American Bistro is open 11 a.m.-4 p.m. for lunch and 5-9 p.m. for dinner Sunday through Thursday. It is open one hour later for dinner on Fridays and Saturdays.
For more information, call 346-304-2102.
Chick’nCone adding Sugar Land location
A popular chicken and waffles chain has set its sights on Sugar Land Town Square.
Chick’nCone pairs hand-rolled waffle cones with fried chicken and can be dipped in the restaurant’s six sauces.
The new restaurant is at 2268 Texas Drive.
The new location will open by the end of 2021 or the beginning of 2022, according to a news release from Katherine Orellana Ross of Public Content.
For more information, visit www.chickncone.com


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CCA Global Partners has been named among the top 10 specialty retailers by Stores magazine, the National Retail Federation said Monday.
The privately held company had estimated sales of $8 billion in 2003, up 33 percent from 2002, the list showed. In addition, the company added 450 new stores, and now has 3,200. It is CCA Global's first appearance in the top 10, Stores said.
Some of the Earth City, Mo.-based company's stores include Carpet One, Global Lender's One, Flooring America, Lighting One, Floor Expo, International Design Guild, ProSource Wholesale Floor Covering and Tuxedo America.
May Bridal was the only other St. Louis-based company to make the list, ranking at No. 97 with an estimated $550 million in sales, up from $508 million in 2002. The company added 255 stores in the last year, or 60 percent, bringing it to 680. It is a division of May Department Stores Co. (NYSE: MAY).
Minneapolis-based Best Buy ranked the No. 1 specialty store retailer with $24.6 billion in sales in 2003. However, the number of its stores dropped from 1,890 in 2002 to 767 in 2003.


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In his debut Channel 4 results presentation last week, chief executive David Abraham was surprisingly upbeat. He boasted of a "stable financial base" that will allow the broadcaster to "commit with confidence" to further innovation. But with C4's results last week joining those from ITV and Five, we finally got a clear picture of the recession's impact on commercial broadcasting in Britain. And it has been profound.
Pessimism surrounds the chances of ITV, C4 and Five rebuilding revenues and profits to anything like pre-recession levels. Meanwhile, looming ever closer, there's the question of whether commercial broadcasters – after years of under-performance – can finally capitalise upon the web without destroying the traditional broadcasting business that sustains such huge programme-making budgets.
The figures on the right show how jobs were hit by the recession. Since 2007, the eve of the recession, ITV, C4 and Five, which broadcast nearly two-thirds of the ad-funded television watched by Britons, have cut over 2,000 jobs.
The bulk of the job losses occurred at ITV, which has lost more than one-third of its workforce during the past five years. The job losses of the recession years were part of a £350m cost-cutting offensive at the three broadcasters. In the last year alone, ITV cut £160m from its cost base. Across two years, C4 reduced its outgoings by nearly £130m.
At Five, the smallest of the three companies, the cuts were deepest in relative terms, totalling £62m during 2009. ITV generated the lion's share of the sector's profits last year, while C4 narrowly avoided a loss and Five lurched into deficit.
Cost cutting was perhaps an inevitable result of Britain's TV advertising market shrinking by 17% during two years of recession, prompting Lord Burns, C4's chairman, to call the collapse "unprecedented". So will revenues ever recover? And if they stand a chance of doing so, how long will recovery take?
Archie Norman, the chairman of ITV, has cautioned more than once against rejoicing about a resurgence in ad spend. The TV ad market is still smaller than it was in 1998, he told City analysts recently. "In organisation, economics and culture, ITV is a legacy broadcaster in a highly regulated market that is static to declining," he says.
Yet investors have bid ITV's shares up by nearly 70% during the past year compared with a more cautious 22% rise in the FTSE 100. Why are they so upbeat?
For a start, Britons are watching more television than ever. According to RTL, the parent company of Five, we each watched an average of 225 minutes of TV per day during 2009 – more than at any time since 1992. In an age of media fragmentation, ITV, Channel 4 and Five still offer a reliable way of reaching mass audiences. Even executives at ITV seem to have been surprised by the strong demand for TV advertising that saw ad revenues rise by 15% during April.
Yet since 2005, usually taken to mark the peak of the boom years, ITV's ad revenues have fallen by one-fifth. Making up the difference in 2010 will require the company to generate £350m more from advertisers than it did last year.
At current rates of growth – ITV's ad revenues grew by 10% during the first quarter of this year – recovery could be possible by 2012. The problem with this scenario is that no one believes that such growth rates are sustainable.
"There's no indication they're going to be strong growth years," says Toby Syfret of Enders Analysis. "[Next year] will probably be flat. You may get 2% or 3% growth after that." Yet if revenues fail to recover to previous levels, what about profits? Embarrassingly for broadcasters who have spent the past few years griping about PSB commitments and funding gaps, a decent recovery in profitability remains a distinct possibility.
Broadcasters, like most content companies, possess a secret weapon that aids the restoration of profitability during economic recovery. In the jargon of the City, they are said to possess high operational gearing. Partly because broadcasters' fixed costs are so high, cutting costs is tough, and takes time. As a result, profitability declines rapidly once revenues start to fall in a recession. In a recovery, however, the opposite applies: once costs have been cut, profits tend to rise rapidly even if revenues only rebound modestly.
The first signs of resurgent profitability came in March, when ITV revealed a welcome £150m surge in cashflow during 2009.
Arguably, commercial broadcasters boast another secret weapon: their digital channels. As ITV acknowledges, increased viewing of the company's digital channels has been offsetting the slow decline of ITV1 audiences since 2006. At C4, digital channels deliver one-third of overall audience numbers. Notably, both families of digital channels also generate big profits. While the core channels ITV1 and C4 yielded profits of £69m from ad revenues after scheduling costs last year, the two companies' digital channels delivered £189m.
Although the digital figures are shrouded in corporate obfuscation – with costs shared by the heritage business – it is little wonder Norman is considering heavy investment in ITV2, 3 and 4.
These channels, he says, are successful although "out there on the street, people don't know what they are". So unless there is a deep double-dip recession, the future for traditional commercial television looks less grim than it has for some time. This more positive outlook partly depends on the future for online revenues.
In the wider world, online advertising accounts for 23% of total ad spend, according to the Internet Advertising Bureau. Yet within what Norman describes as the "legacy" industry of commercial television, online revenues at ITV amounted to 3% of total ad revenues last year.
At Channel 4, the proportion was 4.5%. (RTL, the parent company of Five, does not disclose how much its UK operation earns from digital advertising). The history of broken digital promises from broadcasters is lengthy – ITV's corporate website is littered with them. Back in 2006, for example, the then chief executive Charles Allen promised that ITV would be generating revenues of up to £200m from consumer businesses – shorthand for online ventures – by the end of 2010. In the event, ITV generated £37m in online revenues last year, plus a further £30m, mostly from phone voting.
Looking at numbers like these, it's tempting to allege corporate inertia. Last year, itv.com attracted an average of 8.9 million unique users each month, less than most national newspaper sites.
But there are other difficulties, including a continuing struggle between broadcasters and independent production houses about who should receive the lion's share of online revenues.
Change may at last be on the way, however. At ITV, the strategy review led by the recently appointed chief executive Adam Crozier is predicated upon the idea that the rise of web video and the arrival of high-speed broadband services need to be addressed urgently. ITV is understood to be working on the assumption that video-on-demand services will erode conventional TV viewing by as much as 13% in the next couple of years. The language used by broadcasting chiefs to describe the effects of recession is notable for its intensity. C4's former chief executive Andy Duncan warned of a funding gap that could require government intervention, while Norman has talked of crisis as "life threatening".
Yet in many ways the downturn was less extreme than the gloomiest voices suggested. In percentage terms, ad revenue declines at local newspapers, in B2B publishing and on some national broadsheets were far worse.
It's certainly true that recession hurt the weakest players most and RTL would like to sell Five. Yet last year, when C4 cut its programming budget by 8.5% two things happened. First, its share of the nation's eyeballs declined by a smaller-than-expected 3%. Second, its share of the UK television ad market increased.
Likewise, when ITV cut £160m out of its cost base last year, it went on to increase its share of peak-time viewing and advertising overall. In time, the conflict of civilisations between TV and the web will pose a sterner test for Britain's commercial broadcasters.
For now, however, ITV, C4 and Five may have earned enough space to regroup and rethink. Their resulting plans for a future in which the web finally invades our living rooms had better be good.


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A San Francisco jury ruled Friday in Tesla founder Elon Musk’s favor in a class-action shareholder lawsuit over his 2018 “funding secured” tweet, wherein the entrepreneur questionably claimed to have financing lined as much as take Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) private.
“Thank goodness, the wisdom of the people has prevailed!” Musk tweeted Friday after jurors in a federal civil trial found on his behalf. “I’m deeply appreciative of the jury’s unanimous finding of innocence within the Tesla 420 take-private case.”
Class-action lawyers representing shareholders of Tesla (TSLA) sued over an Aug. 7, 2018, tweet wherein Musk wrote: “Am considering taking Tesla private at $420. Funding secured.”
The tweet sent TSLA soaring 11% to as high as $387.46 that day, although the stock failed to achieve $420 because the take-private idea foundered. It also turned out that while Musk had talked to Saudi investors about providing financing for a take-private deal, such funding arguably wasn’t truly “secured.”
TSLA stock eventually sank as much as some 35% intraday a month after Musk’s tweet, and the take-private deal never went forward.
Lawyers representing shareholders claimed that Musk unfairly sent TSLA’s stock price higher by overstating how solid the deal’s financing was. Had they prevailed, a court could have ordered Musk to pay billions of dollars in damages.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission also previously sued Musk over the incident, reaching an out-of-court settlement wherein he and Tesla (TSLA) each paid $20M and Musk gave up his chairmanship of the EV maker. Friday’s jury verdict got here in an unrelated case brought on behalf of individual stockholders.
Musk last month testified in his own defense on the San Francisco trial, saying that the Saudi investors he spoke with “unequivocally” desired to help take the corporate private.
And while Telsa (TSLA) originally fell when the take-private deal got here apart, the stock later began a multi-year rally. In November 2021, TSLA peaked some 1,500% above its Aug. 7, 2018, high after factoring in stock splits.
Even with TSLA’s big pullback over the past yr, the stock’s close Friday at $189.98 represents a greater than 635% gain from its Aug. 7, 2018, intraday peak after taking stock splits under consideration.
Looking for Alpha contributors are divided on where Tesla (TSLA) goes from here. Columnist Alpha Investment Research recently laid out a “Buy” case for the stock, while contributor Sean Chandler gave TSLA a “Sell” rating.


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(Posted May 5, 2014)
By Kristy Zurbrick, Madison Editor
A keepsake honoring the 125th anniversary of the Madison County Fair will also serve as a fundraiser for the fair.
Chris and Dusty Parker of Mount Sterling and Brenda and Paul Roseberry of West Jefferson are selling hand-woven, commemorative baskets. Dusty is president of the Madison County Senior Fair Board; Brenda is treasurer.
“We got the idea at this year’s fair managers convention,” said Chris Parker.
American Traditions Basket Co. was among the vendors at the 2014 Ohio Fair Managers convention in Columbus. The Parkers and Roseberrys contracted with the Canal Fulton, Ohio, company to make a limited edition, custom basket for this year’s fair.
The basket features a red and white weave design, a brass plate denoting the anniversary and the dates of this year’s fair (July 6-12), and a wood lid engraved with a Madison County Fair scene. Each basket is handmade of hard maple and signed and dated by the maker. Other details include decorative brass ribbon tacks and a plastic liner.
There are 52 baskets available for purchase in the limited edition run. Each basket is numbered. The sale price is $35. The Parkers and Roseberrys are covering the initial cost of the baskets and donating the entire $35 purchase price of each basket to the fair.
“This is a way for us to donate to the fair and it gives others a way to help, too,” said Dusty Parker.
The two families are giving the No. 1 basket to the Junior Fair to raffle off during the livestock sale at this year’s fair.
To purchase a Madison County Fair 125th Anniversary basket, contact Chris Parker at (740) 506-3301.


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The State of California Makes Gamestop Warn their Customers about Used Games' Online Fees
According to news from Joystiq, GameStop has settled a suit that requires the company to post signs in all of its California locations to warn their customers if certain used games have additional fees for online content. The company will also reimburse those "consumers who purchased qualifying used games" with a $10 check and a $5 coupon if they are a PowerUp Rewards members and a $5 check and a $10 coupon if they aren't.
Mark Pifko, attorney for the Baron-Budd law firm that headed this case, stated that the warnings will be an important benefit since the company should disclose the truth to its consumers. He also found out that suspiciously that when the lawsuit was filed, GameStop lowered the prices for used copies of most of the games that were identified in the lawsuit. Gamestop has yet to be reached for comment about this lawsuit.


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Genesis Middle East & Africa HQs today revealed that the much-anticipated All-new Genesis G80 will be launching for customers in the region on the 12th November 2020.
The third-generation model which leads Genesis in the luxury market as a mid-sized, executive luxury sedan will be available in the Middle East & Africa region in 2020 – available to purchase from the official Middle East & Africa Genesis distributors.
The new generation G80 presents the brand’s “Athletic Elegance” design language. First making its marketplace debut in Korea in March 2020, the 2021 G80 features signature design elements including the monumental Crest Grille and double-lined signature Quadlamps inspired from the Genesis logo.
Building upon the existing strengths from the previous generations, the 2021 G80’s platform represents a brand-exclusive, third-generation, rear-wheel drive platform with a design that lowers the body and the center of gravity to secure a wider cabin and improved driving stability.
Genesis has also improved the performance of the new generation G80 with new turbo-charged gasoline engines (2.5 turbo gasoline/ 3.5 turbo gasoline), electronically controlled suspension with road preview and AWD system.
In keeping with the brand’s safety platform, the model features blind-spot collision-avoidance assist as well as forward collision-avoidance assist, front center side airbag: 10 airbag system and reverse parking collision avoidance assist, to name a few of the systems.
Speaking of the launch, Bang Sun Jeong, Vice President, Head of Genesis Middle East and Africa Operation, said, “We’re delighted to be launching The All-new Genesis G80 to our customers in the Middle East and Africa region. Without a doubt, the 2021 G80 represents the fundamental attributes and identity of the Genesis brand.
We are thrilled to be launching this much anticipated, brand-new, premium vehicle to our discerning customers. With spectacular interiors and exteriors, plus state-of-the-art technology, we anticipate that The All-new Genesis G80 will become a favourite among car buyers throughout the region.”
The All-new Genesis G80 will be available throughout the region from the 12th November 2020 and customers can find out more by visiting www.genesis.com/middleeast


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16 May Draught remains the key sales format in the on-trade beer market
24 Apr Alcohol Bill will stifle innovation and product development
13 Apr Hop House 13’s recent promotional night with Eatyard shows just how well certain foods can be matched with beer for the on-trade.
13 Mar Every category within the alcohol sector demonstrated a strong performance last Christmas
26 Jan “High double-digit growth” in premium and reserve brands contributes to share gain in spirits
24 Jan NOffLA calls for full and swift implementation of the Public Health (Alcohol) Bill
21 Sep Pat Nolan talks to Diageo Ireland’s Country Director Oliver Loomes
10 Aug Hop House 13 holds 3% of RoI lager market
4 May Diageo invests in ‘seven figure’ campaign for Hop House 13
Where you see this symbol in the magazine, enter the code and click go to read the full text online
Ketel One launches new lower ABV spirit drink made with natural botanicals for new taste experience.
€1.5m-worth of alcohol seized last year
Profitable Lazy Sunday
Disaronno celebrates Disaronno Day with 24-hour global bar shifts


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Today the Journal has an article based on sources that are saying a firm called Waterbridge Capital, which is headed by a developer named Joel Schreiber, has purchased and is in contract to purchase a large assemblage of properties in Williamsburg. The juicy news is that Schreiber intends to build a 245-room boutique hotel right across the street from the site that’s slated to get a Whole Foods on North 4th Street off Bedford Avenue. Here are the details:
The properties include a former bagel shop, a laundromat, a supermarket and a hookah bar. Waterbridge paid about $68 million for the properties and plans to renovate, in the hope of attracting more prominent retail tenants, including a bank. Waterbridge has also signed a contract to acquire most of the eastern portion of the block between Bedford and North Fourth and Driggs and Metropolitan avenues, which is home to moving-and-storage company Sher-Del Transfer, from the company’s owners. The developer plans to build a 245-room boutique hotel on the Sher-Del site and an adjacent vacant lot, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Williamsburg, you’ve heard this before many times, but you’ve come a long way, baby. [Insert comment about lack of Apple store here.]
Block Redo Melds in Williamsburg [WSJ] GMAP
Williamsburg is Getting a Whole Foods! [Brownstoner]
Graphic courtesy of the Wall Street Journal


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According to the information received from the Ministry of Railways, with the upgrade of the website, booking train tickets will become easier and faster.
Along with this, its capacity will also increase, due to which the pressure of booking in peak hours will not cause crashing of website. Now, passengers will be able to get more options for payment after ticket booking.
Railways is trying to make IRCTC's website and app more user friendly, in order to eliminate the interference of fake agents in booking tickets.
At the same time, Railways will also give more space for advertisements on the new website.
It is important to note that as the influence of Digital India increases, the trend of online ticket booking has also increased. In such a situation, it became essential to upgrade IRCTC's website by the Indian Railways and add new features for the passengers.


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The capacity of the small- and medium-enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysia can be improved if the government introduces policies that are friendly to business owners.
SME Association of Malaysia national secretary-general, Chin Chee Seong, said the authorities should make it easy for business owners to seek help.
“SME Corp, for example, is supposed to help our sector. But in order to receive help, one must first register as a member, and this entails submitting a list of documents, including the company’s auditor’s report. This creates restrictions and makes it difficult for new start-ups with no records to seek assistance,” said Chin.
He also cited regulations under the Industrial Co-ordination Act 1975, which makes it difficult for smaller SMEs to grow.
While the Act was introduced to ensure an orderly and structured development and growth of the country’s manufacturing sector, under the legislation, only manufacturing companies with shareholders funds of RM2.5 million and above, or employing 75 or more full-time, paid employees, can apply for a manufacturing licence from the International Trade and Industry Ministry.
A manufacturing licence, according to Chin, among others, enables manufacturers to enjoy certain benefits, including being able to apply for grants, enjoy cheaper electricity rates, and tax exemptions.
“Such a policy does not help smaller SMEs. The government should allow businesses with more than five employees to apply for manufacturing licences.
“We’ve raised this matter with the Malaysian Productivity Corporation, but have not heard from them since, Chin added.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, earlier today, said government policies should focus on improving the capacity of the SME sector, as it is a pillar of the national economy.
In his speech during the Budget 2023 Dialogue Council in Putrajaya, Anwar said the sector has a very high potential and involves a large number of workers.
Chin admitted that government agencies do reach out to associations like his. However, he said more must be done to help SMEs be more productive.
SMEs have been recognised as the engine of Malaysia’s economy. Data, as of December 2021, indicate that there are more than 1.15 million SMEs nationwide.
The sector also contributes more than 38 per cent, or over RM500 billion, to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).
“We need to grow. We need to have SMEs in Malaysia that can be as big as Samsung, for example. We have some big names, including Mamee, but are we doing enough to ensure that local brands can compete as global giants?” Chin asked.
He added business owners often feel that they don’t qualify for government assistance.
“To change this mindset, government agencies need to reach out directly to SMEs. They need to go nationwide and engage with us.
“While our association can help disseminate information, there are many unanswered questions that can only be addressed by those in authority,” Chin said.


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Motorola One Hyper shows up in three gorgeous colors ahead of today’s launch
Motorola is expected to announce the so-called Motorola One Hyper later today. If you’ve been following the rumor mill, you would know that the smartphone is Motorola’s first with a pop-up selfie camera and a 64MP sensor. We’ve seen leaked images of the phone before, but today’s photos come straight from the source.
WinFuture claims to have obtained official images of the Motorola One Hyper from Motorola Brazil’s servers. The outlet has published tons of new images of the phone which is expected to launch later today.
The images show Motorola’s new all-screen design. As expected, the Motorola One Hyper is seen with extremely thin side bezels and a slightly thicker chin. There’s no camera cutout on the display and a pop-up mechanism houses the rumored 32MP selfie shooter.
The back of the phone has a glossy finish and houses the vertically stacked dual camera array. The Motorola One Hyper is expected to carry a high resolution 64MP sensor, and you can see the words 64MP written on top of the camera housing. The back of the device also houses a physical fingerprint sensor.
The Motorola One Hyper seems to have three color variants: Blue, Copper, and Purple. From what we can see, the smartphone looks pretty good with its tonal paint job. That vertical dotted bar highlighting the camera module and the Motorola logo also adds a little flair.
In terms of specs, the Motorola One Hyper is said to pack a Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 chipset, 4GB RAM, 128GB expandable storage, and a 6.39-inch IPS screen (FHD+). All these seem like pretty standard mid-range specs. We’re waiting to see what Moto does with its cameras and hoping that the device comes with Android 10 out of the box.


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We will likely see a new electric vehicle emerge out of Detroit.
After an absence of over 70 years, Detroit Electric is returning to the Motor City, promising job creation and a range of 100-percent electric vehicles for the mass market.
Detroit Electric has announced the establishment of its corporate headquarters on the 18th floor of the iconic Fisher Building, located in downtown Detroit, with Don Graunstadt, CEO, North America Operations at Detroit Electric, signing a long-term lease.
A site has also been identified to assemble the first electric sports car in Michigan, with production to start in August this year.
The dedicated production facility will have an annual capacity of 2,500 sports cars. Detroit Electric aims to create over 180 sales and manufacturing-related jobs over the next 12 months.
Following five years of research and engineering development, the first model to carry the Detroit Electric logo will be a limited-edition two-seat sports car.
The company said in a press release that the new vehicle is certain to quicken pulses thanks to its bold styling, outstanding performance, exhilarating handling characteristics and impressive range.
Nothing else has been released about this new sports car. The only glimpse given by the company is the teaser picture illustrating this article.
This new sports car is set to be launched early next month in Detroit, ahead of a global public reveal at the Shanghai Motor Show on April 20.
The show will also provide the platform for Detroit Electric to share an announcement about a major partnership with a global carmaker. Full details will be announced on the first press day of the show.
On sale in many of Detroit Electric’s target markets by end of August 2013, the new Detroit Electric sports car will spearhead a diverse family of all-electric production cars, including two other high-performance models that will enter production by end of 2014.
”We are proud to become the fourth car manufacturer born out of Detroit, and the first to manufacture a pure electric sports car from Michigan,” said Graunstadt. “We are committed to doing our part for this great revival of Detroit through innovation, entrepreneurship and determination – what we like to call ‘Detroit 2.0’. Our investors and management team are thankful to the State of Michigan for the help provided in allowing Detroit Electric to carry on the legacy that began in Michigan so many years ago.”
Detroit Electric said Detroit could be regarded as the home of the electric car. Early in the last century the electric vehicle industry was flourishing in Detroit and a company called Detroit Electric was at its very heart, innovating and selling more electric vehicles than any other company. By 1912 there were numerous American electric vehicle makers, with Detroit Electric both the market leader and the most prolific, going on to make around 13,000 cars – an electric vehicle production world record for the twentieth century.
The brand was revived in 2008 by Albert Lam, former Group CEO of the Lotus Engineering Group and Executive Director of Lotus Cars of England, with a vision to produce an electric vehicle that seamlessly integrates refined aesthetics, innovative technology and superior handling and performance.
“I am very fortunate to be working with a group of very talented engineers to create something really special,” said Albert Lam. “The sports car will allow us to demonstrate to the world our ability to build an exciting and innovative product. This DNA will be translated across to our future sedans; all our cars will be fun to drive and deliver exceptional performance within their class.”


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In this cross posting from the Australian Farm Institute website, the AFI’s Richard Heath warns the WA Government inquiry into GM contamination is potentially missing a fundamental point which risks far reaching and possibly calamitous unintended consequences…
The Government of Western Australia is currently running an ‘Inquiry into mechanisms for compensation for economic loss to farmers in Western Australia caused by contamination by genetically modified (GM) material’.
The inquiry continues the discussion around how – or indeed whether – agricultural practices that use GM material, and those that don’t (predominately organically certified agriculture) can co-exist.
This has been a particularly contentious issue since 2010 in WA, when organic farmer Steve Marsh sued his neighbour Michael Baxter for damages, after losing organic accreditation when GM canola from Mr Baxter’s farm entered Mr Marsh’s farm. The case (and subsequent appeal) was lost and Mr Marsh suffered significant economic loss; hence the current inquiry, which is investigating whether in these types of circumstances there should be compensation for losses incurred.
However, the inquiry is potentially missing a fundamental point which risks placing the WA Government at risk of unintended consequences which could be far-reaching and calamitous for agriculture.
Contamination by GM material in the Marsh case caused economic loss because organic certification was lost. Organic certification in Australia is voluntary, arbitrary and based on standards set by market pull rather than science or law. Certification is performed by several different organisations (with differing standards), accredited by the Department of Agriculture under the National Standard for Organic and Biodynamic Produce. Unlike much of the rest of the world, in Australia, organic certification standards also have zero tolerance for contamination.
This inquiry risks operating under the assumption that organic certification standards are unquestionable. To resolve the same issue the Environment and Public Affairs Committee could have just as easily titled the Inquiry: ‘Whether organic certification standards are practical, reasonable and enforceable’.
If this Inquiry finds that there should be economic compensation mechanisms for GM contamination (other than those that are available under common law), it sets a precedent that the WA government would not want to establish; ie. market-based, arbitrary accreditation standards taking priority over legal, best-practice farming methods.
A hypothetical example of this precedent in application could be animal welfare. There is a rapidly growing and very vocal movement to end animal agriculture. Let’s say an extreme no-animal-agriculture food accreditation label was established which guaranteed that at no stage during the food production process were any animal products used (even inadvertently, eg. in fertiliser) – with zero tolerance in administering this requirement.
Then let’s say that a farm accredited under this label loses that accreditation because manure from the farm next door ends up in the no-animal-agriculture accredited field via rainfall runoff. The no-animal-agriculture accredited farm thus incurs an economic loss – assuming the label attracts a premium – from a perfectly legal activity being carried out on the farm next door. Under the principles that may eventuate under this Inquiry the no-animal-agriculture farm would then need to be economically compensated.
Consumers have every right to purchase products that fit their value systems and beliefs, and farmers have every right to produce and supply products accordingly. But value systems and beliefs are voluntary and can change with market forces and trends. To protect these values through economic compensation mechanisms which go beyond those afforded through the common law sets a dangerous – Sir Humphrey might say ‘courageous’ – precedent.
This article was first published on the Australian Farm Institute website. Click here to view original article.


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HLH New Rapid Tooling and Prototyping Facility
HLH Mold Technology is set to become one of Chinaâ€™s first specialist suppliers of prototype and rapid low volume injection mold tooling and parts with the 12000sqm factory.
HLH will move their existing factory into the new building as well as investing heavily in new machinery and technology. The new site is in the heart of Chinaâ€™s high tech manufacturing hub Guangdong.
HLH have seen rapid growth since expanding into the international markets in 2009. Prior to this the company was focused on the domestic Chinese market and was already an established premier manufacturer of prototypes and precision machined parts.
HLH expanded in 2010 with a new factory in Shenzhen to encompass rapid injection molding and prototype tooling. HLHâ€™s HLHProtomold service offers real injection molded parts in days due to their proprietary manufacturing processes.
UK born Vice General Manager James Murphy said: â€œthis new facility is a massive investment for our customers; it will enable us to deliver better for them.
â€œWe will bring everything under one roof and invest heavily in our rapid tooling department, ensuring our stringent quality control and service standards only get better.â€
HLH have already drawn up plans for how to use the extensive 12000sqm which will include a dedicated rapid tooling and injection molding space, as well as a plastics and metals machining departments. The build is scheduled to finish at the end of October and HLH plan to be fully up and running following Chinese New Year.


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Norwalk Remembered with New Hotel
Hotel christens its Norwalk Room, in honor of Martinsburg’s unique contribution to the auto industry.
Norwalk is the most successful and longest-made motor vehicle to have been manufactured in the Mountain State, according to the WV Division of Culture and History. The opening team of the new Hilton Garden Inn is excited to name one of the expansive meeting rooms after the infamous luxury car. “I had no idea Martinsburg was home to the longest-made vehicle in WV,” said Victoria Collins, the hotel’s Assistant General Manager. “And it’s such a unique car, too.”
Cristian Guzman, the hotel’s Director of Sales said, “We wanted the [meeting] rooms to reflect history and local industry. So we went with a transportation theme as a way to recognize the importance of our accessibility to the Mid-Atlantic and east coast commerce.” The first of the meeting rooms to be named was the Brunswick Room, in honor of the MARC train service that connects Martinsburg with Washington DC and other regional cities. The Brunswick line can be accessed at Caperton Station in Martinsburg.
The Hilton Garden Inn Martinsburg is slated to open this fall. The Norwalk Room is now accepting bookings of meetings and special events. For more information, visit the hotel’s website.


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EINDHOVEN, The Netherlands / NEW YORK: The supermarket group Ahold Delhaize will deploy small automated warehouses to speed up order preparation and reduce delivery times as it renews its e-commerce business in response to growing competition in a fast-growing sector increase.
In an event for investors on November 13, the eighth largest food retailer in the world is scheduled to announce a partnership that will allow you to automate the picking of orders in the mini “robot supermarkets” connected to the stores of its US chains as Stop & Shop.
That marks a departure from his previous strategy of relying more on manual labor in larger warehouses, or on a mixture of man and machine, to meet food orders online.
Now, Ahold Delhaize, based in the Netherlands, is partnering with Takeoff, an emerging company that builds small warehouses that stack food on the roof to save space and use robot arms to gather orders from buyers of items like beer, milk, bread and fruit.
The warehouses serve as condensed supermarkets that can supply several stores with click and pick orders. Its construction costs around $ 3 million, which, according to Takeoff, is less than the cost of a typical store renovation.
“If it’s going well, both on their side and ours, the hope is that we can quickly build a few.”
Ahold’s measure is the latest salvo in a war for the online grocery market that has increased since Amazon took control of Whole Foods last year. Whole Foods launched same-day grocery delivery with Amazon Prime in more than 60 cities.
Other retailers are also competing to respond: Walmart will test Alert Innovation’s Alphabot automated food collection at a store in New Hampshire, and Kroger has partnered with Ocado, a British expert on online groceries.
Kroger said it will reveal the location of the first three sites in the US. UU Of Ocado’s 20 planned high-tech stores in the coming weeks. It will take approximately two years to build and each will cost Ocado approximately US $ 39 thousand (RM162.27 thousand).
Ahold Delhaize, the operator of US chains such as Giant Food, Food Lion and Hannaford, acquired the Chicago-based Peapod online supermarket in 2000, which remains the market leader.
However, growth has slowed down in Peapod since Amazon bought Whole Foods and as supermarkets, including Ahold’s own chains such as Stop & Shop, are partnering with startups such as Instacart to offer pick-up service on the sidewalk or deliveries from one to two hours.
Hand to mouth
So far, Ahold’s strategy has been largely manual. In their warehouses, known as “dark tents”, the collectors take the items from the shelves and put them in boxes for packaging and delivery.
Ahold Delhaize has decades of experience in delivering groceries to people’s homes, beginning in the Netherlands in 1986 when his Albert Heijn chain received orders by phone or fax.
At a warehouse in Albert Heijn, outside the Dutch city of Eindhoven, each collector takes an average of one product every 10 seconds, walking approximately 4.5 km per day. The algorithms solve the shortest route through the corridors and try to minimize the congestion of the car.
Pawel Kamienczuk, a 28-year-old Polish pick-me-up, sweats as he runs down a corridor, trying to reach a goal of 380 items per hour.
“At first, it took me a while to get used to it, but now I do not feel tired,” he said.
Kamienczuk uses a device like a smartphone on his wrist that tells him where to go and what he should take next.
Scan each product with a device mounted on your index finger and place it in one of the 18 blue boxes stacked in a large car.
Albert Heijn warehouses can pick up and pack 135-140 units per hour of labor, a rate lower than that of Kamienczuk because it takes into account the work done by others to unload supplies, stack shelves, assemble orders and pack delivery vans.
The figure is also lower than the 163 units that Ocado reported for the first half of 2018, but analysts say it is impressive, given that Albert Heijn’s capital outlay for its centers is a fraction of the cost of Ocado’s automated warehouses. .
Efficiency is key at a time when labor costs are rising in the United States and Europe.
The Dutch unemployment rate is at a minimum of 18 years and unemployment in the United States is approximately the lowest in five decades, wage pressures are increasing and companies are complaining more and more about the shortage of workers.
Last month, Amazon said it would raise the minimum wage for US workers to US $ 15 (RM62) per hour, in part to attract staff.
At Ahold’s Peapod warehouses in Jersey City, collectors who start with approximately US $ 12 (RM50) per hour with benefits can earn up to US $ 3.50 (RM15) per additional hour if they exceed the speed goals, but are also monitored. close by its quality: dented tin could mean a refund.
“When we buy, we have many people who check us,” said Amal, an expert “buyer” who specializes in selecting bananas, Peapod’s best-selling product.
The Peapod warehouse in New Jersey is the largest and most sophisticated of the firm in terms of automation.
There, the boxes move along conveyor belts to equipment collectors that focus on different food categories, while the robots add non-food items such as shampoo. Peapod does not share collection times.
Despite automation, Peapod employs 825 people here, working two shifts from 5 am to 2 pm and from 5 pm to 2 am in a warehouse with seven temperature zones.
Next day versus the same day
Peapod has only offered delivery the next day until now. The partnership with Takeoff will allow the group to offer same-day delivery, or click and collect, initially to customers who live near a pilot store in a Shop & Stop in Connecticut.
Avallone declined to comment on the deal’s finances with Ahold, but said Takeoff should be able to implement the concept quickly, since it takes 16 to 20 weeks to set up its 10,000-square-foot stores, which can handle up to $ 50,000 (RM208). .34mil) in annual sales.
That contrasts with the newest facility in Ocado in Britain, which is a 563,000 square foot site, with a potential annual turnover of £ 1.2bil (RM6.57bil).
The US e-commerce market for groceries UU It is still in its infancy with only 1.6% of sales, but it is expected to more than double by 2023, according to the IGD industry research group.
Ahold, which makes almost two-thirds of its sales in the United States, wants to increase e-commerce sales to € 5bil (RM23.89bil) by 2020, or about 8% of total turnover, from € 2.8bil (RM13. 38bil). in 2017
Your online sales in the US UU They should be close to US $ 1bil (RM4.16bil) by the end of the year, since it creates a shared e-commerce infrastructure for all its brands in stores, along with its online shopping site Peapod, executive director Frans Muller He said in August.